At 28 Major Phil Ashby became the youngest officer to be made Major in the British Armed Forces.

He will discuss how he escaped Sierra Leone during his appearance. Arriving in the conflict-ridden country as rebel forces were re-starting the civil war, the lives of Ashby and his co-workers were put in grave danger when a local warlord turned on them and they were taken hostage.

The conference, taking place in London on November 25, will be split into three sections focusing on Life Stories, Growing Your Career and Taking the Lead.

The day is aimed at helping and inspiring young achievers in travel on their way to being the industry’s leaders of the future.

The day will also showcase some of the former success stories from TTG’s 30 Under 30 initiative.

Speaker line-up

Donna Allcock, channel manager, Travelsupermarket:
The first graduate of TTG’s scholarship to Leeds Beckett University, Donna’s 22-year career in travel has taken her from Thomas Cook to Travelsupermarket.com

Simon Applebaum, managing director, Attraction World:
Appointed managing director of Attraction World in March 2016, Simon was among the first intake to the TTG 30 Under 30 scheme in 2012 while working at Affinion Travel.

Jessica Bain, director and co-founder, Latin Routes:
Bain’s love for Latin America was sparked at Cardiff University while studying Spanish and Italian. After graduating she gained considerable experience in the industry before launching Latin Routes.

Dermot Blastland, non-executive director, Loveholidays:
From September 2007 to December 2010 Blastland was managing director Tui UK & Ireland and has held a number of senior positions in the industry.

Claire Cronin, customer director, Virgin Holidays:
Former senior vice-president of marketing at NetJets and chief of staff at Barclaycard, since 2014 Claire has spearheaded brand positioning strategy for Virgin Holidays.

Steve King, chief executive, Black Swan:
Black Swan is a fast-growing UK start-up that uses artificial intelligence to predict human behaviour.

Aden Levin, director, Mainstage Travel:
Levin and business partner Rob Tominey used a £100,000 investment from the BBC TV programme Dragons’ Den to help fund the growth of Mainstage Travel, which specialises in operating clubbing and festival holidays for the 18-24 market.

Gaby Marcon Clarke, director, Shine P&P:
Marcon Clarke’s mentoring expertise is in developing training for mentors, creating a mentoring culture within organisations and setting up mentoring programmes. Her business coach specialisms are in strategy, marketing and organisational development.

Jamie Queen, group marketing director, Thomas Cook:
Queen is responsible for marketing strategy across all of Thomas Cook’s markets, and previously worked at Saga, AA and Budget Insurance.

Tim Williamson, director, Development Squared:
Former Tui UK customer director and board member Williamson has also worked as chief executive of Ireland’s Travel Department.

Book your place here